Trouble with the dark arts
by Beki
Summary: The first part of my story, please read and review. Mysterious killings are going on and Ron is blankly ignoring them. So what, it's teachers, but something strange is going on.
1. Default Chapter Title

Troubles with the Dark arts

"I dunno," complained Harry dully as him and his best friends, Ron and Hermione, left the potions classroom. "I know Snape hated my Dad and everything, but I mean, we lost 50 points in one lesson! How bad is that?"

"Well, it's Charms next, I'll try and catch up our points if you like," bustled Hermione, who was rummaging through her bag.

"Know-it-all" muttered Ron darkly. He was in a bad mood, he'd lost 30 of those points for 'adding an extra porcupine spine' to his shrinking potion. Suddenly, he jerked forward; someone had walked into him.

"Watch it!" he shouted to the fast retreating backs of Draco Malfoy and his little gang.

"What, Weasley? Didn't quite catch that." Drawled Malfoy.

"Malfoy, get lost," said Harry.

"No, we wouldn't mind staying to talk to you," said Malfoy, sarcastically.

"Because we are the best of friends, aren't we," said Hermione, matching his sarcasm.

"Get lost," said Harry coldly.

Once in charms, Harry cheered up. They were learning hexes, and using each other as targets. Although they were aching and groaning by the time they came out, there was no doubt that they had enjoyed it

They all headed up to the common room, except Hermione, who 'needed to go to the library.'

"Harry" called Angelina Johnson, a seeker on Harry's quidditch team. She rushed up, with Alicia Spinnet and Katie Bell at her heels (the other seekers). "Have you heard?" She asked excitedly.

"What?" said Harry curiously.

"Have you heard who the new quidditch captain is?" asked Katie Bell.

"No, I haven't, who is it?" Harry asked.

"For goodness sake, you should've done!" said Alicia! "It's you, Harry!"

"_Me?_" asked Harry amazed. "No way, I'm not good enough!"

"Of course you are, Harry!" said Fred Weasley, the team beater, coming up behind.

"Duh!" said George, his twin brother. "Trust me Harry, you could play for England. I mean, have you seen yourself play? The…"

Exactly how good Harry was, he never found out, because they were momentarily distracted by Hermione bursting into the common room.

"Harry, Ron," she said breathlessly. "Come…to…dorm…need to tell…you…something!"

Harry and Ron looked at each other. Hermione beckoned them up to her dorm. They walked up the spiral staircase, and walked in. Harry, remembering that he had never been in Hermione's dorm before, was suddenly hit by how different it was to his. Instead of the creamy white walls and red velvet curtains and bedspreads, it had pale blue walls and deep pink bedspreads. He looked at Ron, who looked just as surprised. Hermione remained non-plussed and sat down on the bed nearest the window, which looked out onto the lake.

"Harry, Ron, I just saw Snape in the library." Said Hermione.

"So?" asked Ron. "Is that all?"

"No! He was looking up _poisons_." Said Hermione meaningfully.

"Snape, looking up poisons?" said Harry sarcastically. "What a surprise."

"We just found out Harry's the new quidditch captain, Hermione. Isn't that cool?" said Ron, changing the subject.

"Yes, yes," said Hermione absentmindedly. "But Snape was in the restricted section of the library, he was looking up _death_ poisons. I came straight over here. Oh Harry, you don't think he's trying to poison you, do you?"

Harry and Ron became suddenly more serious. " Great." Said Harry. "Just what I need. I've just become quidditch captain, and I find out that I'm going to die."

Ron looked fidgety. "What?" asked Hermione, looking at him.

"Well," said Ron. "We've thought that Snape was trying to kill Harry twice now, this is the third. And nothing's happened to Harry…well, nothing Snape's brought on in any case."

"Ron, why else would Snape be looking up deadly poisons. Who else would he want to kill?" said Hermione.

"Honestly, Hermione, call yourself a know-it-all!" said Ron, exasperated. "Professor Omega, of course!"

Professor Omega was the new Defence against the dark arts teacher. Snape was _very_ interested in the dark arts, and it was common knowledge that he would not stop at anything to get the job. But would he go as far as killing him?

"This is Snape, guys," said Harry. "You know what he's like, poisons, truth potions, bullying, favouritism…need I say more?"

"Maybe we're over-reacting," said Hermione.

"_We're? We're _over-reacting? Hermione, you ran all the way from the library, dragged us into this dorm, argued when we tried to sway you and now you say _we're_ over-reacting?" laughed Ron. Hermione chuckled weakly. Ron left.

"Hermione, I need to go to see McGonnagal about the captain thing. Nice dorm!" Said Harry and he set off.

Later, when Harry entered the common room, he was drowned by people asking 'are you captain, are you captain?' "NO!" shouted Harry. Everyone stopped suddenly, and then started hurling abuse to an invisible McGonnagal. 

"I turned it down." Yelled Harry and everyone shut up.

"Why?" asked Fred and George, amazed!

"I've got to much to do on top of quidditch practices. I'm still on the team, but I haven't got time to coach." Everyone looked crestfallen. "Don't look so glum, Angelina," Harry called to Angelina Johnson. "You got the job instead." Angelina's friends all cheered, and she grinned sheepishly.

"Well, to the hell of it, let's celebrate in any case," shouted George and he and Fred whizzed up to their dorm, coming back later, arms full of goodies.

The evening was a bit of a disaster, people turning into canaries, goats, platypuses and even a few giraffes all over the place. Everyone found it hilarious when Hermione turned into a mouse, but not quite so when her cat Crookshanks leapt at her. He was shut in her dorm for the rest of the evening. Fred and George, carefully avoiding the hexed foods as they were the maker, laughed their heads of all evening, until they realised when no more people were transforming, they were copying the foods they were eating!

At about 11:00, the party stopped. Professor Dumbledore's voice was ringing through the castle.

"Please return to your beds, everyone, including the Gryffindor party. We are sad to inform that Professor Omega has tragically passed away, and there will be a memorial service soon."

Harry, Ron and Hermione looked at each other, horrified!

"I'm gonna see Dumbledore!" said Harry. "It seems to fit, doesn't it! Snape loves the dark arts, is looking up poisons. Then that evening, the defence against dark arts teacher dies. Come on!"

"Harry," Hermione whined. "You have _no _proof at all. What if it wasn't Snape? What if…"

"Harry," said Ron. "Don't go, Hermione's right. You haven't got a smudge of proof."

"I don't care." Harry insisted. "I'll tell him that it _might_ be Snape."

He walked out of the room.

When he reached the statue gargoyle outside Dumbledore's office, he remembered that he still didn't know the password.

"Err…cockroach cluster?" he said gingerly, to no avail.

"Blood lollies? Sugar quills? Sherbet lemons? Chocolate eclairs?" he said.

"Toffee bonbons?" he asked, as the gargoyle leapt sideways, revealing a doorway with a moving spiral staircase.

This will be posted in parts. Put me on author alert to find out when the next one is posted!

***please review***


	2. Default Chapter Title

Trouble with the Dark arts: Part two

N.B. those of you who haven't read the first part of this story won't understand this.

Harry looked at the staircase spiralling up to Dumbledore's study. He took a deep breath. Were Ron and Hermione right? Did he have enough evidence to get Snape pinned to the crime? He'd been looking up poisons and the next day Omega had died. So Snape likes the Dark arts? What if he did? Would he go as far as _killing_?

But then, what if Snape _had_ killed Omega. Dumbledore would have no idea. And if he found out, he'd have no evidence. What if Omega wasn't the first person Snape killed?

"Better safe that sorry" Harry muttered grimly. He stepped onto the spiral staircase, and he got to the big oak door. He knocked the big Griffin knocker.

"Enter!" called a solemn voice from within.

Harry walked in timidly.

"Harry," said Dumbledore, brightening a little. His laser blue eyes scanned over Harry. Harry glanced down guiltily.

"You're here about Proffesor Omega, aren't you Harry." He said. It wasn't a question.

"Err…yeah," said Harry sheepishly. "Well, I, you know, thought I'd tell you that Hermione saw, well…"

"Spit it out," said Dumbledore, smiling his mysterious smile, which Harry had never figured out what meant (note: multipurpose smile! Hehehe!)

"Hermione saw Professor Snape looking up poisons in the library and, well, Snape really likes the Dark arts…"

"Harry, I do not believe that any teacher in this school would have killed Omega."

Harry noticed he steered clear of pupils…but no pupils would have killed him. Harry knew this was the answer he'd expected, but he hadn't predicted the next bit.

"But I do not deny that Professor Omega was killed. Do not tell anyone else, though."

"But, but how?" asked Harry amazed!

"Avada Kedavra." Said Dumbledore dully. "And he isn't the last. I've just received word of another person dying in the school, I was just about to send the message through the school."

"But…who is it, Professor?" asked Harry.

"Professor Sinistra, of the astronomy department. That wasn't Avada Kedavra, that _was_ poisoning. But it wasn't Snape." He added quickly as Harry's mouth opened.

"Look Harry," Dumbledore continued. "I don't mind you poking around, but don't get into danger."

"Yes," said Harry agreeably, and he left for the Gryffindor common room to tell Ron and Hermione.

"A serial murderer! Cool!" said Ron. "Now just about everything's happened at Hogwarts!"

"Ron," said Hermione in a high voice. "It isn't cool! What if it's you next?"

"Snape's going for teachers isn't he." Said Ron calmly.

"And when there are no teachers left?" Hermione shrieked.

"Bring in a few ghosts," said Ron coolly. "Snape can't kill them, can he?"

"Snape hates Harry. What if he turns to the students next?" Hermione panicked.

"Hermione, cool it," said Harry soothingly. "It might not even _be_ Snape. Dumbledore doesn't think so."

"Hmm," said Ron. "Why don't we go out under the invisibility cloak to the hospital wing. We could look for clues."

"I'm not going anywhere near dead bodies thank you very much," said Hermione tartly.

Harry headed upstairs. He got out the invisibility cloak from under the bed. By instinct, he pulled back the bedcover, and found two notes. One was from Dumbledore:

****

Dear Harry,

Here are the few pieces of information we have: Professor Omega was found in his office, next to a note which was written in a strange code, see if you can work it out:

__

Tr yan dfind ou twho kil ledo mega a ndyo uwi llfi ndyour se lfingre at di redan ger don ott hinki amonl ytarge ttingomeg aiwil lhav emor evicti ms.

Di edum bled ore.

Try and make sense of it! Professor Sinistra was found behind the greenhouses and she had been poisoned by plant food. No clues were found near her.

Good luck,

Professor Dumbledore.

The other note was unsigned.

****

Harry Potter, keep your nose out of what isn't your business or you'll find yourself the next one dead.

Harry stared at the note. What did they mean? Was this from the murderer, Snape or whoever? Or was it some kind of sick joke. If it really was from the murderer, that would mean they're in Gryffindor!

WATCH OUT FOR THE NEXT PART OF THE STORY. THE PARTS AREN'T VERY LONG YET, SORRY!


	3. Default Chapter Title

Trouble with the dark arts ***Part three***

Harry looked at the note. Was it dangerous, snooping around, would the murderer come after him? He picked up the notes and the invisibility cloak and set off down the stairs to Ron and Hermione. No person not in Gryffindor could have left the note. It _must_ be Snape, though; he would be the obvious culprit.

"Harry," Ron said. "Ready to go?"

Harry showed Ron and Hermione the note. Ron paled at the death note.

"Oh god, Harry, this is serious. I wasn't bothered before, it's only teachers, but I mean, if they're threatening you…" Ron said worriedly.

"Harry is perfectly safe Ron. And as for the code in the first letter, it's simple logic, I'm amazed Dumbledore couldn't work it out." Said Hermione briskly. "Let's see…**try and find out who killed Omega and you will find yourself in great dire danger. Do not think I am only targetting Omega, I will have more victims.**

Die Dumbledore. Well, they're going to kill Dumbledore! Don't go to the hospital wing, Harry, go to where the bodies were found! If Dumbledore dies, we'll be ruined!"

"Good idea!" said Harry, chewing his thumbnail anxiously. He and Ron got under the cloak and set off out of the common room towards the defence against the dark arts office. They got there quickly.

"Look through the keyhole first, there might be someone in there," Ron whispered. Harry peered through the hole. He could see the eerie chalk line marking where Omega had been found. And someone was moving around in there, in the semi-darkness. Suddenly they moved towards the door. Harry sprung back and flattened himself against the wall.

The door opened and someone walked out.

And that someone was Snape.

"Harry," Ron whispered after Snape had disappeared. "The murderer _must_ be Snape. It can't _not_ be! Why else would he be snooping around in Omega's office?"

"Yeah," agreed Harry. "Let's go in and see if he left any clues."

Ron and Harry searched the room thoroughly, and eventually they found a wand.

"What's that spell you can use to see what the last spell the wand made was," said Harry the moment the idea ticked into his mind.

"Prior incantem" Ron replied. "Amos Diggory used it at the world cup."

"OK then, that's what I'm gonna do on this wand" said Harry. "_Prior Incantem!_"

A wispy figure started to form, pushing it's way out of the wand. Harry gasped. It was Omega.

"Professor" said Harry, amazed.

"Boys, I know what you are going to ask. I can't tell you who killed me but I can say that Snape…"

"Snape?" asked Ron eagerly, but Omega was fading away.

"What about Snape?" asked Harry quickly. "Don't go…" but Omega was gone.

"Let's go back to the common room Harry," said Ron dully.

They got there and were instantly faced with an eager Hermione.

"What did you find out?" she asked impatiently.

Harry told her in a low voice.

"But…"said Hermione, "that makes Snape our prime suspect. It can't be a teacher _really_ can it?"

"Hermione, Snape was our only suspect in the first place, unless you think it was Neville Longbottom!" said Ron sarcastically. "Somehow I can't quite see _him_ knowing the Avada Kedavra."

"Of course not, but it still might not be Snape!" said Hermione.

"Hermione," said Harry lightly, "the dead guy as good as framed Snape. It was the last word he said before he disappeared."

Suddenly everyone stopped what they were doing and Dumbledore's voice came echoing through the castle.

"I am sorry to announce that yet another person has been targetted. Professor Trelawney is now in the hospital wing, and their memorial service will be held soon."

Harry didn't look at Ron or Hermione. They were all thinking the same thing. Harry grabbed his invisibility cloak and set off for Dumbledore's study.


	4. Default Chapter Title

Trouble with the Dark arts ***part four***

Harry headed straight for Omega's office and grabbed the wand from where they had hidden it, behind Omega's bookcase. Then he went to Dumbledore instantly. He gave the password and stepped onto the magically spiralling staircase. He pulled the marauder's map out of his pocket, where he kept it always. This was going to be a wrench. He understood how Fred and George Weasley had felt when they'd given it to him. Harry would never get the map back now, but if he gave the map to Dumbledore he could _see_ the murderer killing the next victim, and the murderer would be kicked out of the school…Snape would be gone forever! _Yes!_

But the marauder's map had been given to him by a friend, written by his own father, his godfather, his favourite ever Defence against Dark arts teacher and…well, a creep, but that can't be helped can it? Harry found himself staring at the Griffin knocker on Dumbledore's door. He glanced at the map. Dumbledore was just leaving the room with the penseive in it. Harry remembered last year when he had seen that. Dumbledore must be checking for clues and patterns. This made Harry stronger, somehow. He knocked.

Slowly the door opened. Dumbledore peered round in his half-moon glasses. He saw it was Harry.

"Harry, what a pleasant surprise! I had a feeling you'd be coming. For clues, I expect, hmm? Well, I'll give you two doses, I'm afraid there's been yet another death."

"Another one?" Harry asked, amazed. Carefully choosing his words, he said, "_whoever _it is getting through the teachers quickly. He, err, must be in Slytherin or from it, right?"

"Or Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, even Gryffindor. There is no way of knowing," said Dumbledore bowing his head.

"What?" said Harry. "But when I first met Hagrid, he said all the wizards who went bad were in Slytherin, I believed him!"

"Harry, how do you explain Peter Pettigrew, a friend of the great who, was evil to the bone. He was in Gryffindor. And as the rest of the magical world believes Sirius Black is evil. Was he in Gryffindor? Yes. My brother Alderbert, you know how he practised illegal charms on a goat? Well, he was in Gryffindor…or was it Ravenclaw…? Oh, and Hagrid, not in the slightest bit bad, but part giant. And he was in Hufflepuff."

"Well, I dunno, I just had a feeling…Professor, can I ask something?"

"You may," said Dumbledore agreeably.

"Well, how come you couldn't work out the clue by Omega. And who is the other killed teacher?"

"You asked two things there, Harry, and I shall answer them both. Firstly, I did work out the clue on the note, but I sent it to you as a whole to work out between your friends. Secondly, the Professor killed was Professor Sprout. She was in her office, and she was poisoned. Professor Flitwick was found on the ground by the castle. It…appeared that he had fallen all the way from the north tower, he was still alive when we found him, but he had too many broken bones and he died from the shock and the pain. We did not have time to ask about the murderer. And I believe you came here about something else, right?"

Harry thought. Snape could easily have pushed Professor Flitwick off the north tower, and Sprout was poisoned. Snape knew enough about poisons, and he _had _been looking up poisons in the library. He heard Dumbledore calling.

"Harry, you seem to have drifted off for a minute."

"Oh, sorry!" Harry said quickly. He lifted the map out of his pocket and handed it to Dumbledore. Dumbledore stared at it, transfixed.

"Where did you get this map Harry?" he asked.

Not wanting to get Fred and George into trouble, Harry thought quickly. "I found it. It was in the common room, behind one of the sofas by the wall. Someone mast have dropped it there, or thought it was a scabby old piece of parchment and couldn't be bothered to bin it. I dunno."

"And I can keep it?" asked Dumbledore, smiling for the first time that visit. "You may go now Harry."

Not wanting to outstay his welcome, Harry left.

*********************************************************************

That night Harry woke up. There was a light breeze on his cheek. He opened his eyes. It was about one in the morning and, oh my god! A figure was standing over him with a knife. And it wasn't Snape, it wasn't even someone from Slytherin.

It was…no, it couldn't be.


	5. Default Chapter Title

Trouble with the dark arts ***part five***

It was Neville Longbottom.

"**_NEVILLE?"_** Harry asked, amazed. "Put the dagger down. How you got it…you're having a bad dream."

"I'm not having a bad dream, Harry. And if it's a dream, it's the best one I ever had," Neville said in a voice quite unlike his normal one. Harry suddenly realised how much he looked like Peter Pettigrew. He mentally kicked himself. Why hadn't he seen it before?

"Neville," Harry said, to keep him talking mainly. "Why are you doing this? Why are you killing people?" Harry saw Seamus Finnigan walk quietly out of the door. He'd heard Harry, and had gone to get help.

Harry couldn't believe Neville was the murderer! 'Poor, blundering' Neville!

"Killing people?" Neville asked. "What, you mean the teachers. I didn't kill them! No proof needed, I didn't kill them. It's useful to have that murderer kicking around. When I kill you, they'll think it's him! They'll never know!"

"You're related to Peter Pettigrew, aren't you. He's the evil one. The one that framed my godfather." Harry demanded. Neville looked surprised.

"How do you know about my uncle being the real criminal? And Black being innocent?" said Neville.

"Your _uncle?_" Harry asked. "Peter Pettigrew is your uncle?"

"Yeah." Said Neville. "My stupid parents, you know what happened to them? You know practically everything else."

"I know. They had the Cruciatus curse on them…they're in a mental home." Neville made an indistinct noise in his throat.

"Stupid people" Neville muttered. "I always preferred my uncle…so evil! When he helped The Dark Lord, he was honoured beyond belief, then he let you get away and was…well, killed. So I decided at whatever costs I would avenge him because I loved him more than I ever loved my parents. Now I'm to kill you, Harry, stand back for your last minutes."

Suddenly Seamus banged back into the dorm with Dumbledore and McGonagall. McGonagall stormed over to Neville and grabbed his robes by his neck and pulled him away. Harry explained what had happened to Dumbledore, and Seamus, Dean and Ron, the other boys, who had all woken up now.

"But," he said as he finished, "we still don't know who murdered the rest of the teachers."

"Harry, just because you found one murderer, doesn't mean you can find them all. You forget you gave me the marauders map. I set up a sort of magic security camera on it, and we saw the murderer kill one more teacher, and then we caught him." Dumbledore said.

"Who was the murderer? Which teacher died? That's six teachers now isn't it?" Harry asked.

"Yes." Said Dumbledore. "Professors Omega, Sinistra, Trelawney, Flitwick, Sprout…and Snape."

"_Snape's _dead," said all the boys together. They weren't sure whether to be happy or amazed. That ruled out Harry, Ron and Hermione's theory completely.

"Who is it?" asked Dean Thomas.

McGonagall called over from where she was tying Neville to a bedpost.

"Professor Vector," she said. "He couldn't be blamed, he was simply mental. Honestly, the Arithmancy brand of magic does funny things to people's brains. He's been sent away, but now we've got a massive gap in the staff to refill, and an enormous funeral service, and an idiotic boy to deal with" she glanced at Neville "who is to young to go to Azkaban. Honestly, kill Harry Potter? How could you?"

Harry looked at Dumbledore. "Does this mean Sirius is clear, Professor?" Harry asked hopefully. Dumbledore nodded. "You can go and live with him now."

Harry settled back to bed. He'd had a lot of excitement this evening. Now he was ready to lie back and let everyone else do the work!


End file.
